# Have you ever touched a human corpse? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 16, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924 "2007-07-16T01:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/21 "2007-07-16T04:23:14Z")
My grandmother, recently, when she died in the hospital. We stayed with her long enough for her forehead and hands to begin cooling, but she still felt like a person. After embalming, people don’t feel like people anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/22 "2007-07-16T04:28:11Z")
Anatomy lab - I touched several. Oddly enough, it didn’t faze me a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/23 "2007-07-16T04:28:56Z")
My father, after we took him off life support, and my grandmother, in the nursing home shortly after they found her. Both of them, as well as my mother and other grandparents, in their caskets as well. I actually spent quite a bit of time looking at my mother in her casket, and touching her hands and face. I was 11, and I remember doing it partly to show the other children in attendance(my best friend, and some cousins) that it was ok(and partly because it was such a strange sensation, of course…and one you never forget). We spent enough time up there that afterward I realized we had had an audience. I guess a lot of the older folks felt touched by us doing that, and pleased, in a weird way. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/24 "2007-07-16T04:30:47Z")
I can’t remember if I touched my dead grandmother or not, but I touched my mother’s body on her leg as I said goodbye in the hospital room. I was probably too numb to feel icky about it. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/25 "2007-07-16T04:34:45Z")
I touched the bones of a biology-lab demonstration skeleton. I was the only one in the class willing to do so. I’m not sure if that counts, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/26 "2007-07-16T04:36:01Z")
Meant to add, in my family, at least, I’ve always been encouraged to kiss the deceased, as well. My mother I kissed on the lips, my father and grandparents on the cheecks or hands, if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/27 "2007-07-16T04:36:03Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] Anatomy lab - I touched several. Oddly enough, it didn’t faze me a bit. [/QUOTE] In Anatomy Lab, they just don’t seem real. That time with my girlfriend, I had to keep telling myself it was real. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/28 "2007-07-16T04:40:05Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] In Anatomy Lab, they just don’t seem real. That time with my girlfriend, I had to keep telling myself it was real. [/QUOTE] True, but the baby autopsy during my histopathology rotation in med tech school was extremely real and I don’t want to have to do that again. I was able to help with everything except undressing it and putting its clothes back on. That was too much for me. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/29 "2007-07-16T04:40:10Z")
[QUOTE=Speaker for the Dead] I touched the bones of a biology-lab demonstration skeleton. I was the only one in the class willing to do so. I’m not sure if that counts, though. [/QUOTE] Only if you did the ventriloquist routine. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/30 "2007-07-16T04:50:22Z")
My girlfriend of the time told me that they used to have “fascia fights.” Fascia is some sort of tissue that’s elastic like a rubber band, so they’d snap and shoot them at each other during class. Each semester, they would cremate all of the used cadavers and parts; if it was december, they’d wrap the smaller bits up like Christmas packages before sending them off. I think the medical school must have been at that _National Lampoon’s Animal House_ university. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/31 "2007-07-16T04:56:26Z")
My Dad -after he died, I put my hand on his forehead & prayed the Lord’s Prayer and the Nicene Creed. It’s not a family or church tradition or anything I even thought about, it just seemed the thing to do at the time. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/32 "2007-07-16T04:59:56Z")
I was a volunteer EMT for three years and touched many many corpses. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/33 "2007-07-16T05:03:45Z")
Former hospital worker, EMT/Paramedic. Touched many corpses. They’ve never lied to me, asked to borrow money, or wanted a bite of my sandwich. Nice folks, all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/34 "2007-07-16T05:17:14Z")
Performed CPR on quite a few freshly dead people. Touched quite a few others who weren’t that fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/35 "2007-07-16T05:20:02Z")
Sure, on my wedding night. HI-yo! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/36 "2007-07-16T06:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Performed CPR on quite a few freshly dead people. Touched quite a few others who weren’t that fresh. [/QUOTE] I had one puke in my mouth during CPR. Bonus points. ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/37 "2007-07-16T06:55:55Z")
A couple in anatomy lab and one in an autopsy. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/38 "2007-07-16T06:58:26Z")
I think I’m the first person on this thread to say no. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/39 "2007-07-16T07:45:58Z")
Both my parents, a good friend of mine who died some months ago and the lad I mentioned in the thread in IMHO. To my shame I still don’t know how to post links after 2years…must be senility ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924/40 "2007-07-16T12:05:32Z")
I made a glove out of the skin from a cadaver’s hand once and wore it for half the day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-touched-a-human-corpse/411924.md?page=3)